What should you do when you have a snack attack? Are you suffering from the sugar blues? Sandra Hoedemaker, a holistic health counselor and a Plainsboro resident, presents three talks to suggest healthful goodies and help you gain control over food cravings. She speaks at Gentle Healing Wellness Spa in Cranbury on Tuesday, September 16.; Center for Relaxation and Healing in Plainsboro on Thursday, September 18; and Can Do Fitness Center in Forrestal Village, Plainsboro on Thursday, September 25. All talks are from 7 to 8:30 p.m.##M:[more]##
Hoedemaker, who was raised in Montgomery, has lived in Plainsboro for six years with her husband, David Hoy, a structural engineer. She graduated from Hamilton College with a bachelor’s degree in German and mathematics. “Although I rarely used my German while working my German major helped me land positions with companies that were global and that had a global client base,” she says. After receiving her MBA from Rutgers University, she was a consultant in the household cleaning and personal care industries for a northern New Jersey firm. She was later a marketing director with Firmenich in Plainsboro and a business director for Rhodia in Cranbury.
“I enjoyed what I was doing,” she says, “but I was exhausted working long hours, traveling, and trying to find time for my personal life. In addition, I was not contributing to the world in the way I wanted. For the next stage of my life, I wanted to work in a profession that directly helped people but did so in a way that I could maintain my own life balance.”
Knowing that she had a life-long passion for healthy eating and living, she enrolled in a course to become a health counselor at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. With a focus on health and wellness, the coursework included dietary theories with an emphasis that there is no one diet that is appropriate for everyone and that each person must be treated as an individual. “They also emphasized the importance of maintaining life balance by setting aside time each day to incorporate healthy meals, exercise, relaxation, and positive social interaction into your life in order to stay healthy,” says Hoedemaker.
“I love this work because I really get a chance to help people figure out how to live a healthier life,” she says. “Most people are struggling to be healthy but are often not successful.”
Hoedemaker feels that people are confused about health claims on food packages and messages about health in the news, discouraged about dieting and sugar cravings, and too tired and stressed at the end of the day to create a healthy meal and exercise. “My role is to help these people, particularly the busy professional, find ways to incorporate healthy eating, regular exercise, and relaxation into their lives so that they can create a healthier life for themselves,” she says.
Hoedemaker offers lectures, group workshops, and individual counseling. She can also “de-junk” their kitchen and then whisk them off to a health food store tour so that they can replenish their cabinets and refrigerator with healthy alternatives. Cooking classes are also available.
“I understand how difficult it is for business professionals working in the corporate environment to juggle their professional lives and personal lives and still remain healthy,” says Hoedemaker. “I experienced this myself and managed to improve my ability to handle this juggling act with the help of what I learned.”
Snazzy Snacking, Simply Living Healthy, Gentle Healing Wellness Spa, Cranbury, 609-750-8559. www.gentlehealingspa.com Register. $12. Tuesday, September 16, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Sugar Blues, Can Do Fitness Center, Forrestal Village, Plainsboro, 609-750-8559. Register. Free. Thursday, September 25, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Snazzy Snacking, Simply Living Healthly, Center for Relaxation and Healing, 666 Plainsboro Road, Suite 635, Plainsboro, 609-750-7432. www.relaxationandhealing.com. Register. $12. Thursday, September 18, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
